New Sanctions Against Iran

The US Department of the Treasury has announced new sanctions against Iranian officials and so-called shadow banking organizations. The agency stated that the measures are aimed at individuals involved in the brutal repression of protests, as well as financial mechanisms used to launder revenue from oil exports.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) explained that the restrictions were imposed against the backdrop of ongoing mass protests in Iran. “The United States stands firmly with the Iranian people in their pursuit of freedom and justice. Under President Trump’s direction, the Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on key Iranian leaders involved in the brutal repression of the Iranian people,” said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bancen.

He declared that US authorities intend to use all available tools to exert pressure on those whom Washington identifies as being behind the human rights abuses in Iran. The sanctions list includes 18 individuals, including Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. The US considers him one of the coordinators of the violent response to the protests and an advocate of violence against demonstrators.

The restrictions also apply to commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units and law enforcement bodies in Lorestan and Fars provinces. According to US reports, security forces have opened fire on protesters in these regions.

A separate package of sanctions targets the financial networks associated with state-owned banks Bank Melli and Shahr Bank. The US Treasury claims that Iran has laundered billions of dollars in oil and petrochemical revenues through these institutions. According to US authorities, fake companies in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and other countries have been utilized for this purpose. Some of the funds were allegedly used to finance internal repression and to support Iran-related entities abroad.